Nigel Farage says breastfeeding mums 'should sit in a corner' if they are too ostentatious

The Ukip leader was talking on radio station LBC

Ella Alexander
Friday 05 December 2014 11:34 GMT
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Ukip leader Nigel Farage looked increasingly uncomfortable as he was grilled on LBC
Ukip leader Nigel Farage looked increasingly uncomfortable as he was grilled on LBC

Nigel Farage asserts that breastfeeding mothers should "sit in the corner" rather than feed their babies in an "ostentatious" way.

He said some people feel "very uncomfortable" and "embarrassed" about seeing women openly breastfeeding, although it isn’t a scene that he is "terribly hung up about".

"I’m not particularly bothered about it, but I know a lot of people do feel very uncomfortable, and look – this is just a matter of common sense, isn’t it?" he said on LBC Radio.

"I think that given that some people feel very embarrassed by it, it isn’t too difficult to breastfeed a baby in a way that's not openly ostentatious," Mr Farage said.

His comments come after a mother was given a large napkin to cover her baby while feeding her baby in Claridge’s to avoid causing "offence" to other guests.

"Frankly, that’s up to Claridge's, and I very much take the view that if you're running an establishment you should have rules," he said.

When asked if women should perhaps sit in a toilet if they want to feed their babies, he came up with another solution.

"Or perhaps sit in the corner, or whatever it might be – that's up to Claridge’s," he said.

"It’s not an issue that I get terribly hung up about, but I know particularly people of the older generation feel awkward and embarrassed by it."

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